The competitions offer the finest creative hair artists a chance to compete and show their unique talents and technical abilities with other competitors from the USA and other countries. NCA will offer hairdressing competitions for ladies’ cut, color and style; long hair up-do; long hair and ethnic fashionable evening. The men’s competitions will include men’s cut, color and style categories.

New this year!

All student, novice and professional competitions will be performed on mannequins. Using specially designed, high-quality mannequins instead of live models is a cost effective way for many more competitors to get involved.

NCA urges contestants with drive and ambition to begin preparations for the USA Beauty Open at CMBS. The Open leads up to the World Championships of Hairdressing at HairWorld 2006 in Moscow, Russia and will serve as the platform for the USA Team Trials, an important step in the process for American competitors interested in participating in the World Championships.

The following important facts relate to the USA Team Trials:

• The USA Team Trials consist of Junior/Student, Ladies and Gents Hairdressing competitions.
• To compete in the World Championships, salon professionals from the USA must be current members of NCA, and must have their registration forms certified by NCA.
• The three top-scoring Junior and Senior Ladies and Gents competitors in each of the team championship contests will qualify as members of USA Team at the World Championships.
• No other USA competitor is guaranteed the chance to compete.
• All other competition registrations are accepted on a space available basis only.
• At the conclusion of the Moscow World Championships judging, the NCA competitors with the top scores in each of the World Championship Team competitions will be elected members of the USA Team.
• For information on general rules, regulations and registration please visit www.ncacares.org or contact the NCA by phone: 312-527-6765 or email: nca1@ncacares.org.

For the fifth consecutive year, all NCA members will receive FREE ADMISSION to the 2006 Chicago Midwest Beauty Show, March 4-6, 2006, which includes admission to the NCA USA Beauty Open. More than 3,600 NCA members took advantage of this generous offer in 2005, saving an average of $130 per member. Expectations are that these numbers will increase in 2006.

For information on upcoming competitions at the USA Hair and Beauty Open at the Chicago Midwest Beauty Show, professionals should visit www.ncacares.org or call 312-527-6765. For information regarding membership in the NCA, please call the New Member Hotline at 1-866-871-0656 or 312-527-6765 or email nca1@ncacares.org.

The National Cosmetology Association (NCA) is the largest organization of salon professionals in the world. Its mission, since its inception in 1920, has been and continues to be to ensure that working salon professionals have the tools and resources available to create career success with integrity. For more information on NCA visit www.ncacares.org.

Contact:
Kate Gallagher
Vi Nelson & Associates, Inc.
312-944-1262/fax 312-664-8380
kate@vinelson.com